Safest bindings?

[BraceMaker]

@OldboyII I assume height.

 

If you used an older reflex youll recall the metal plate the release was attached to. That plate had holes which a rubber pad snapped into, and if you examine that part youll see it is curved, that peice used to ride in a track and form the actual heel release, so youd raise that up another 1/2" minimum.

[skialex]

@BraceMaker this is my thought too, newer binders are even higher

[pregom]

@BraceMaker interesting to hear that the hard-shells would punish out of stack positions. I was putting Reflex and MOB in the same category in terms of both systems requiring adjustments. I hear they can be tricky to make and can lead to unexpected pre-releases.

[ScottScott]

@pregom I'm not sure that the adjustment factor with a release system are so much related to stack position. Being locked into a boot as you will with a hard shell, and with a boot you tighten in enough to be used with MOB release, can make a poor position more problematic in your skiing. But I would say adjustment aspect is separate than your position. I can't speak to other systems, but with MOB the tensions are charted. You start with a height/weight, then adjust based on skiing style (which would goes along with speed/line length) adjusting a little tighter for a more aggressive skier, a little looser for more conservative (and older) skiers. A little "wobbling" shouldn't be enough to cause a pre-release. Biggest difference is that the wipeouts that that bad position causes will be a little safer with the release.

[BraceMaker]

@pregom all releases need to be in spec and function tested, how to do that varies by system and videos exist for doing this testing/setup. MOB has a spring in a housing that can be measured by using a caliper, since Mike tunes the springs he is hand assembling those to reach spec and length. Reflex the biggest thing is that if you have trouble latching the release, or the spring setting is way low and still hard to release, or way high and releasing too easy - you probably have an assembly error. But you have to watch the videos/read the set up and really understand the adjustments - particularly for some of FM's products - that Evo for instance has screw clamps that clamp a slot in the cuff.

 

In terms of hardshells punishing - think of it this way, if you learned to ski in a rubber slider binding you know the feeling of the ski right under your foot, the only influence you had on the ski was where you put pressure with the ball of your foot and heel. If you weren't in position the rubber doesn't know its just about pressure under foot. To a great extent then rubber wraps were the high performance and those are still pretty low/flexible and have almost nothing under foot (if you were Andy mapple you cut the base pad out and just stood on the ski still)

 

But a hardshell transmits motion both through the foot pressure (good) and the cuff (can be good), If for instance you are skiing a front hardshell and you have your hips back, and your back knee bent your front ankle is actually pointing down, and the cuff is going to be vertical or even up against the rear stop (unless you're in a reflex white cuff - but then again some have posted that this position can release the binding!) People reduce this effect by cutting the cuffs off lower, or using the reflex white cuff boot etc. But a rubber slider wouldnt' have transmitted that force.

[mmosley899]

@bracemaker is correct in that hardshell boots transmit movement into the ski much different than rubber boots. If your body position is a bit eradic, you could trigger a release unexpectedly with the stiffer boots. If you are transitioning from a rubber boot, Radar, Connelly, and O'Brien all make great soft fit boots that work well with the MOB release system. Better performance is not always achieved with a stiffer hardshell boot. Particular attention needs to be given to the cuff area in hardshell boots, too much lateral input can be detrimental. That is the reasoning behind cuff modifications.

[Nando]

Safest binding? Gotta be this one:

 

[lpskier]

@UWSkier Aren’t those boots the women’s prototype for the Connelly Stealth binder?

[E350]

Any updates? New bindings? New experiences to share?

[brettmainer]

I hit 5 ball the other day in a headwind and glare. I knew I was narrow but thought I could get around it. Nope. Both feet came out perfectly. Reflex front and R Style rear. I am very happy safety wise with this set up.

[rockdog]

I have same setup @brettmainer which has been pretty good. But as of yesterday after another rear ankle tweak I'm thinking of swapping out the R-style for another full boot. Anyone else running double Reflex? Other than @twhisper.

[brettmainer]

@rockdog,

are you tweaking the ankle crossing the wake or during falls? If crossing the wake, I don't have much advice, but it is interesting because my ski partner is having that problem as well. If the tweaking is due to slow releases during falls, I guess that you are using the highest top buckle placement? I use just the lower two, which allows my heal to lift and for the foot to come out easily during a fall.

[Kelvin]

Its debatable which binding is the safest. All I know is this one is not it!

 

 

[ScottScott]

Does Dewalt make his boot too?

[wawaskr]

Definitely would get better performance with Makita.

[rockdog]

@wawaskr

Dewalt sponsors a major waterski event, they are the best drill ever built.. if I knew how to put a rolling eyes emoji on here I would. Likewise GMSV assemble the worlds greatest vehicles.

[wilecoyote]

I'm 59 years old, I ski on T Factors, previously on Animals. (+kicker) I usually have a couple of crashes per year where I come out of the boot and my ankle is usually sore for a day or two following. I've known 2 people that have had serious injuries in rubber, (one broken ankle one crushed the top of his tibia) and both were caused by coming partially out of the boot and then crashing hard. At least this type of injury would be prevented with hard shells. Just a few more points to consider.